Method of manufacturing diamond-coated cutting tool inserts

Abstract

A method of making a diamond-coated insert includes, obtaining a substrate of durable and diamond adherent material having a substantially smooth surface on which is coated a diamond layer using any known CVD technique, and partitioning the diamond covered substrate with a laser beam into multiple inserts with desired geometries. If desired, the insert edges and corners may be thereafter machined or ablated until the desired smoothness and finish are achieved, and a fastening throughbore may be preformed or drilled in the center of each insert. The diamond-coated inserts as formed have a top surface entirely coated by a surface layer of diamond of a first thickness, and at least one rake face which is not diamond-coated beyond the surface layer of diamond.

I claim: 
     
       1. A method of making a diamond-coated body, comprising: a) obtaining a substrate suitable for diamond coating;   b) coating a first surface of said substrate with a diamond layer, thereby forming a diamond-coated substrate; and   c) cutting said diamond-coated substrate into a plurality of pieces having diamond-coated surfaces, at least one of said plurality of pieces having diamond-coated surfaces having at least two flank faces which are not diamond-coated beyond said diamond-coated surface.   
     
     
       2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising: d) machining said plurality of pieces to a desired finish.   
     
     
       3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising: drilling a throughbore in at least one of said plurality of pieces.   
     
     
       4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising: before said coating of said first surface with a diamond layer, preparing said first surface with grooves along a plurality of cutting planes, wherein said cutting is accomplished in said cutting planes along said grooves.   
     
     
       5. A method according to claim 1, wherein: said substrate is a material selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, silicon nitride, tungsten carbide, zirconium alumina, and alumina.   
     
     
       6. A method according to claim 1, wherein: said diamond layer is between two and two hundred microns thick.   
     
     
       7. A method according to claim 1, wherein: said cutting is accomplished with a cutting laser.   
     
     
       8. A method according to claim 1, wherein: said coating is accomplished with a Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) technique.   
     
     
       9. A method according to claim 2, wherein: said machining is accomplished with an ablation laser.   
     
     
       10. A method according to claim 3, wherein: said drilling is accomplished with a drilling laser.   
     
     
       11. A method according to claim 7, wherein: said diamond layer is between two and two hundred microns thick,   said coating is accomplished with a Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) technique, and   said cutting is accomplished with a cutting laser.   
     
     
       12. A method according to claim 7, wherein: said pieces are polygonal in shape and comprise diamond-coated cutting inserts.